Panel joining member

ABSTRACT

A method of connecting a panel ( 50 ) to a panel joining member ( 51 ) is disclosed. The method includes the steps of forming a recess ( 16 ) adjacent to an edge of a panel. The panel ( 50 ) is located within a panel joining member ( 51 ) the panel ( 50 ) being located against a stop member ( 15 ) and the recess ( 16 ) being aligned with an aperture ( 18 ) in the wall ( 13 B) of the joining member ( 51 ). A fastener ( 17 ) is passed through the aperture ( 18 ) and urges the panel towards the outer wall ( 15 ) of the joining member ( 51 ). A receiver ( 30 ) is inserted into the recess ( 16 ) to assist engagement of the panel ( 50 ) with the fastener ( 17 ). The receiver ( 30 ) has a shape complementary to that of the recess ( 16 ). Opposing walls ( 13 A,  13 B) of the joining member ( 51 ) are inclined towards one another to improve panel retention. A push or snap-fit join is included to facilitate assembly.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a joining member for holding togethertwo or more panels. The invention further relates to a method ofassembling said panels to construct, for example, structural orpartition walls, flooring and roofing, furniture, containers or luggage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The assembly of large scale articles such as partition walls, furnitureand transport containers by joining together smaller units, particularlypanels, is well known in the art. Depending on the nature of the jointbetween adjacent units, articles of different strengths and function canbe produced. For example, where a partition wall is to be formed, theindividual units need to be retained in the desired orientation, butneed not necessarily be required to be joined together in a robustfashion to withstand impacts.

Where, however the units are to form part of a container, andparticularly where the article is an item of luggage, the joints usuallyneed to be able to withstand a large amount of strain from the weight ofthe contents and be able to stand up to, for example, airport luggagehandling techniques, which can often involve the luggage receiving anumber of impacts.

In the art, it has been a standard approach when joining panels togetherto insert a panel into a moulded extrusion and secure the panel in placeby a fastening method such as gluing, riveting or screwing through theouter face of the outer wall of the extrusion into the face of thepanel. The screw bites into the panel and as the screw is tightened thepanel is drawn into contact with the inner face of the extrusion's outerwall.

The above approach has a number of drawbacks. Firstly, the stress fromtightening the screw is concentrated on the outer wall of the extrusionand panel skin. Where, for example, the panels form part of a piece ofluggage or cladding on a building, then the sealing joint between thepanel and extrusion will be less efficient and the exterior appearanceof the joint will not be so pleasing. Also, if the panel width isnarrower than the extrusion's channel width, then additional packing,adhesive bonds or the like may be required between the face of the paneland the extrusion's walls to maintain the spatial relationship betweenthe panel and the extrusion's wall.

It is an object of the present invention to seek to alleviate the aboveproblems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided, amethod of connecting a panel to a panel joining member, the methodincluding the steps of:

forming a recess adjacent an edge of a panel;

locating said panel edge within a panel receiving portion of a paneljoining member;

locating said panel against a stop member and aligning the recess with afastener aperture formed in an inner wall of the panel receivingportion;

inserting a fastener through the aperture into the corresponding recessin the panel, the fastener urging the panel towards the outer wall ofthe panel receiving portion. The panel can be easily inserted into thejoining member and undesirable stresses in the panel are minimised.

Preferably, a receiver is inserted into the recess prior to the panelbeing located within the panel joining member.

Advantageously, an adhesive is introduced between the panel and one ormore walls of the joining member to increase the strength of the joint.Optionally, an adhesive bond weld is introduced when the fastener hasbeen tightened substantially.

Optionally, the fastener is an expanding rivet fastener to engage thepanel tightly. Advantageously, the fastener has a screw-thread to engagethe panel and/or panel joining member.

Preferably, the fastener receiver is an adapter, the adapter having ashape complementary to that of the recess. The adapter provides asubstrate for the screw to grip. The recess optionally narrows away fromits open end to ensure that the material from which the adapter isformed undergoes plastic flow around the thread as the threaded fasteneris tightened. The material which flows reduces the transmission of anyvibrations to the fastener arising, for example from transportation. Thevibrations act to cause the screw to loosen and hence the joint tobecome weaker.

Preferably the fastener is introduced into the fastener receiver at anangle inclined to the axis perpendicular to the surface of the panel.The angle encourages greater engagement of the panel or the fastenerreceiver with the fastener and can urge the panel against the stopmembers.

The or each panel optionally includes one or more projections to engagea corresponding recess in a panel joining member thereby forming apush-fit type joint. The use of push-fit joint enables rapid assemblytogether of panels which assembly can be accomplished with relativelyunskilled labour. Advantageously, opposing walls of the panel joiningmember are inclined together at an angle of up to 5°. The incline angleis particularly advantageously 0.7° to 2°.

The or each panel joining member preferably includes a chamfered edge tofacilitate insertion of a panel into the panel joining member.

According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided apanel joining member comprising a joining element having at least onepanel receiving portion and at least one fastening assembly,

the or each fastening assembly comprising a fastener and a fastenerreceiver, wherein the or each panel receiving portion is defined byspaced opposing walls including a panel stop member, located on at leastone of the inner facing surfaces of said opposing walls, and in which afastener aperture is located through one of said spaced opposing walls.

Preferably, where two panel receiving portions subtend an angle of lessthan 180°, the fastener aperture is located in the internal wall of thejoining member.

This arrangement facilitates the alignment of a panel against a stopmember to position a panel for securing thereto by said fasteningassembly.

Advantageously, the fastener receiver of the fastener assembly issecured within a panel along a selected panel edge for inserting into apanel receiving portion. The fastener receiver would normally beprofiled in a manner to facilitate its correct orientation for insertioninto the said panel.

In one arrangement, the fastener receiver comprises a body adapted forengagement with a panel, the body including an open mouthed recess forreceiving a fastener.

Optionally, the recess narrows away from the open mouth.

Preferably, the fastener is a screw having a flat ended shank.

According to a yet further aspect of the invention there is provided anadapter to receive a fastener for insertion into a panel recess, theadapter comprising a first opening having a diameter greater than thatof said fastener. Optionally, the opening is narrower at its closed endto grip the end of a fastener. Advantageously, both the first openingand the narrowing are cylindrical, with the cylinders optionallyco-axial.

According to a still yet further aspect of the invention, there isprovided a panel joint, the panel joint comprising;

a panel an edge of which is locally flat and which flat region includesa recess;

a joining member, the joining member having spaced opposed walls toreceive the panel;

one or more stop members against which a panel is aligned;

the joining member having an aperture in one of said walls to enable afastening member to pass through the joining member and engage thepanel, thereby urging the panel against the opposite wall of the joiningmember.

Advantageously, the joint includes adhesive between the panel and one ormore walls of the joining member to increase the strength of the joint.Optionally, the joint further includes an adhesive bond weld.

Preferably, an adapter is located in the recess, the adapter having ashape complementary to that of the recess. The adapter optionallynarrows away from its open end to ensure that the material from whichthe adapter is formed undergoes plastic flow around the fastening memberas the fastening member is fully engaged. The material which flowsreduces the transmission of any vibrations to the fastening memberarising, for example from transportation. The vibrations act to causethe fastening member to loosen and hence the joint to become weaker.Preferably, the fastening member includes a screw thread to engage thejoining member.

Conveniently, the recess includes an aperture to receive a nut intowhich the fastening member can be screwed, the member and the nutco-operatively engaging to lock the nut against the inner wall. Thecompressive pre-load force is maintained by the elastic spring effect ofthe inner-wall. Preferably the fastening member is aligned along an axiswhich is at an angle inclined to the axis perpendicular to the surfaceof the panel. The angle causes greater engagement of the fasteningmember with the material into which it is being screwed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings which show by way of example only three embodiments of a jointfor panels. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view through a first embodiment of a joint;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view through a second embodiment of a jointshowing the arrangement just after the locating/fastening screw has beenintroduced;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view through the second embodiment of the jointshowing the fastening means fully engaged;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a retention adapter,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view through a joint having a snap or push-fitfastening;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view through a further joint having a snap orpush-fit fastening; and

FIG. 7 a-e illustrates elements of a panel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring initially to FIG. 1, this shows a first embodiment of acoupling means for securing panels together to form an article. Thepanels can be used in the construction of containers such ashand-portable cases or those which are to contain larger loads to betransported on lorries or ships. The containers are of modularconstruction and can be easily assembled either by the panelmanufacturer or at a separate production site. Alternatively, panels canbe joined together to form, for example, a partition wall.

The coupling means shown in FIG. 1 comprises a joining element 10. Thejoining element 10 can be formed from an extruded plastics materialhaving good impact and scuff resistance or a metal (such as extrudedaluminium). Two panel retaining portions 11 of the joining element 10are at right angles to each other and separated by strengthening walls12. Joining elements can be produced however with retaining portions atother desired angles, for example 180°. Each retaining portion 11 hasflexible side walls 13A, 13B to enable a panel 14 to be easily insertedtherebetween. Adhesive 21 is introduced between the panel 14 and theouter wall 13A of the joining element 10. Positioning of the panel 14into the desired location and orientation is facilitated by stop members15 on the inside of the retaining portion 11.

A further feature of the invention is the option of adding ahole-reinforcing adapter to the hole 16 in the in-use inner wall of thepanel 14. The hole 16 enables a flat-ended load screw 17 to be passedthrough a threaded hole 18 in the inner wall 13B of the retainingelement 10. The adapter would normally have a bore diameter slightlylarger than the outer diameter of the fastening screw. As the screw 17is screwed into the panel 14 therefore, the panel 14 is pushed againstthe wall 13A. In order to further secure the panel 14 to the walls13A,B, adhesive can be included.

A number of barbs 19 can also be included in the inner surface of theinner walls 13A to provide further grip on a panel 14. A bond weld 20,which can take the form of further adhesive or a sealant compound can beincluded. The bond weld 20 performs a number of functions. Firstly, itprovides further bonding between the panel 14 and the wall 13B.Secondly, it closes any remaining gaps between these two elements andimproves the sealing and the appearance of the finished article.

The joint which is achieved by the above has advantages overconventional joints. Firstly, from a security point of view, as screwheads are normally on the inside of the finished article, the screwscannot be removed to facilitate access to the article. Secondly, from anaesthetic view point, the appearance of the article is improved.Thirdly, with conventional articles of similar construction, the innerface of the wall 13A may be pulled away from the panel duringmanufacture, a problem which is obviated by the current invention.Fourthly, the inner wall 13B remains mechanically coupled to the panel14.

An alternative embodiment of a coupling means is disclosed in FIGS. 2and 3. The features of the joining element and the panel aresubstantially as described above in relation to FIG. 1. In additionhowever, the embodiment of FIG. 2 includes a retention adapter 30 whichfits into a correspondingly shaped hole within the panel 14. Theretention adapter 30 has a recess to engage and retain in position areaction and locking nut 31. The recess preferably has the samecross-section as the locking nut to improve the grip on and preventrotation of the locking nut 31 as the screw 32 is tightened.

As the screw 32 is tightened, the wall 13B is put under compression andthe panel 14 and the wall 13B are pushed apart. Furthermore, a loadarises which tends to push the panel 14 against the outer wall 13A. Asthe screw 32 is tightened further it pushes against an end section 33 ofthe hole 34. The end face of the screw reacts onto the end section 33and causes the locknut to ease out of its recess towards the inner,panel-side face of the wall 13B, ultimately causing the screw to locksecurely against the wall 13B and preserving the compressing preloadforce by means of the elastic spring effect of the wall 13B. Thediameter of the closed end of the hole 34 is smaller than that of thescrew 32 and undergoes plastic deformation. The deformation results inthe plastic flowing into the thread of the screw and provides, in thefinished product, anti-vibration pressure. The plastic will act to holdthe screw 32 in position and therefore during transportation of anarticle which includes a fastening as described above, any vibrationssuch as from a vehicle will not cause the screw to come loose.

As with the joint shown in FIG. 1, adhesives and bond welds can beapplied to improve the strength and appearance of the joint. Barbs andprofiling of outer the wall 13A may also be employed to refine thesystem. Furthermore, rivets may be used as alternatives to or inaddition to a screw-type fastening.

The embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, includes theadditional feature that the hole 34 is slightly eccentric. Theeccentricity of the hole causes the screw 32 to be guided into positionand also to grip and hold the panel more tightly in the requiredposition urging it against stop members 15. In some circumstances thisoption is not required and an embodiment utilising a concentricarrangement of hole 34 would suffice.

An advantage of the above described invention is that the panels can beeasily assembled together. In that sense the individual components canbe manufactured and subsequently dispatched to be assembled byrelatively unskilled workers.

The retention adapter 40 as shown in FIG. 4 has barbs 41 to prevent theadapter 40 from being lifted out of the hole in the panel 14 prior tothe panel being engaged into the joining member. A recess 42 which canaccommodate a locking nut having a hexagonal cross-section is shown.

In use, when two or more panels are to be joined together, a panelaccording to the above invention is taken. A retention adapter, if notalready present is inserted into a corresponding hole within the paneland a locking nut located in the aperture provided in the adapter. Thepanel is brought in to correct alignment with a joining member, betweentwo retaining walls of said joining member. An adhesive can be appliedat this stage between the wall of the panel and the inner face of theretaining wall 13A of the joining member.

Alignment is achieved by locating the edge of the panel against the stopmembers in the joining member and ensuring that a clearance hole in thejoining member is over the locking nut opening. A screw is then screwedin through the joining member and into the retaining member. The screwmay be profiled with a reduced-diameter lead-in section so as to helpguide it into the appropriate female section. As the screw is tightened,the outer wall and the panel are brought together. Once the screw hasbeen tightened, the joint produced can be sealed and furtherstrengthened on the inner wall 13B of the joining member using a bondweld.

A further aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG. 5 in which apanel 50 is held into position with a joining element 51 by means of apush or snap-fit mechanism. The push or snap-fit biases the panel 50towards the inside face of the outer wall 54A of the joining member 51.In order to effect the joint, panel 50 has a raised ridge 52 runningalong its length (see FIG. 6). The ridge 52 engages a recess 53 in thejoining element 51 and co-operates to retain the panel 50 rigidly inposition. The joining element 51 shown in FIG. 5 is substantiallysimilar to that shown in FIG. 1, with a primary difference being thelack of a hole through which a screw can pass.

In order to provide an even stronger bond, the joining element 51 can beprovided with non-parallel sides 54A, 54B which are inclined towards oneanother. For example, whist the outer wall 54A is at right angles to thestrut 55, the inner wall 54B is inclined at an angle towards the outerwall 54A, typically an angle of up to 5° has been shown to give a goodjoint, although angles of from 0.7° to 2° have been found to be mosteffective.

Furthermore, the joining element 51 includes a chamfered edge 56. Thechamfered edge 56 facilitates insertion of a panel 50 into the joiningelement 51 during the assembly process.

The push-fit mechanism can be used in conjunction with the featuresrelating to the adapter/screw mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 to 4.

Alternatives to a single ridge along the length of the panel, a numberof other features can be used. For example, a castellated projection oreven a series of staples whose heads protrude from the panel could alsobe used. Furthermore, any ridge or projection does not have to runparallel to the edge but could also be disposed at other angles with aproviso that the panel joining member has a corresponding recess toengage ridge or projection.

The panels as used herein are primarily sheet materials which arelocally planar along their edge, enabling them to be joined to otherpanels. The panels can be constructed from materials formed by thepressure bonding of a plurality of layers and having rigid outer layerand a lightweight inner layer. The outer layer can be formed from anumber of layers or skins, for example plywood, MDF or plasticsmaterial. The inner layer can be formed from a lightweight material suchas a plastic or aluminium and have a honeycomb structure which canimpart strength and rigidity whilst reducing weight. Alternatively, thesheet material can be a single layer of wood, plastic or metal.

An alternative aspect of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. The featuresshown here are suitable for use in cases for transporting goods andmaterials. The joining element 71 is similar to that shown in FIG. 5,and in this instance is to form a corner of the base of a suitcase orpacking case. The wall 72 of the case is planar having a thickness ofapproximately 1 mm. It is therefore far thinner and lighter than otherwall panels described above in relation to the other figures. The caseproduced is therefore lighter and has a greater internal volume. Inorder to retain the wall 72 in position a retaining element 73 isinserted between the wall 72 and the internal edge 74 of the joiningelement 71. The retaining element 73 engages the internal edge 74 bymeans of a push-fit mechanism, a ridge 75 on the retaining element 73engaging the recess 76 of the joining element 71. An adhesive 77 isadded to further secure the components together. The joint formed can befurther secured by passing a securing element such as a screw or rivetthrough the internal wall 78 into the retaining element 73. In theparticular example shown here, a foot 79 is secured to the joiningelement 71 to provide protection for the case when the case rests on thefloor.

It can be noted that elements, (as shown in FIG. 7) smaller than anormal panel but having the same configuration can be slotted, by meansof the projections 80 into larger panel elements to provide the largerpanel elements with the projections required for push or snap-fitassembly.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to thespecific details described herein, which are given by way of exampleonly, and that various modifications and alterations are possible withinthe scope of the invention.

1-35. (canceled)
 36. A method of connecting a panel to a panel joiningmember, the method including the steps of: forming a recess adjacent anedge of a panel; locating said panel edge within a panel receivingportion of a panel joining member; locating said panel against a stopmember and aligning the recess with a fastener aperture formed in aninner wall of the panel receiving portion; inserting a fastener troughthe aperture into the corresponding recess in the panel, the fastenerurging the panel towards the outer wall of the panel receiving portion.37. A method according to claim 36, wherein a receiver is inserted intothe recess prior to the panel being located within the panel joiningmember.
 38. A method according to claim 37, wherein an adhesive isintroduced between the panel and at least one wall of the joiningmember.
 39. A method according to claim 36, wherein an adhesive bondweld is introduced when the fastener has been tightened substantially.40. A method according to claim 36, wherein the fastener is an expandingrivet fastener to engage the panel tightly.
 41. A method according toclaim 36, wherein the fastener has a screw-thread to engage at least oneof said panel and said panel joining member.
 42. A method according toclaim 37, wherein the receiver is an adapter, the adapter having a shapecomplementary to that of the recess.
 43. A method according to claim 36,wherein the recess narrows away from its open end.
 44. A methodaccording to claim 37, wherein the fastener is introduced into thereceiver at an angle inclined to the axis perpendicular to the surfaceof the panel.
 45. A method according to claim 36, wherein the panelincludes at least one projection to engage a corresponding recess in apanel joining member thereby forming a push-fit type joint.
 46. A methodaccording to claim 36, wherein opposing walls of the panel joiningmember are inclined together at an angle of up to 5°.
 47. A methodaccording to claim 46, wherein the incline angle is from 0.7 to 2°. 48.A panel joining member comprising a joining element having at least onepanel receiving portion and at least one fastening assembly. eachfastening assembly comprising a fastener and a receiver, wherein eachpanel receiving portion is defined by spaced opposing walls including apanel stop member, located on at least one of the inner facing surfacesof said opposing walls, and in which a fastener aperture is locatedthrough one of said spaced opposing walls.
 49. A panel joining memberaccording to claim 48, wherein two panel receiving portions subtend anangle of less than 180′ and the fastener aperture is located in theinternal wall of the joining member.
 50. A panel joining memberaccording to claim 48, wherein the receiver of the fastener assembly issecured within a panel along a selected panel edge for inserting into apanel receiving portion.
 51. A panel joining member according to claim49, wherein the receiver of the fastener assembly is secured within apanel along a selected panel edge for inserting into a panel receivingportion.
 52. A panel joining member according to claim 48, wherein thereceiver comprises a body adapted for engagement with a panel, the bodyincluding an open mouthed recess for receiving a fastener.
 53. A paneljoining member according to claim 52, wherein the receiver narrows awayfrom the open mouth.
 54. A panel joining member according to claim 48,wherein the spaced opposing walls are inclined together at an angle ofup to 5°.
 55. A panel joining member according to claim 54, wherein theincline angle is from 0.7° to 2°.
 56. A panel joining member accordingto claim 48, wherein the panel joining member includes a chamfered edge.57. A panel joining member according to claim 48, wherein the fasteneris a screw having a flat ended shank.
 58. An adapter to receive afastener and for insertion into a panel recess, the adapter comprisingan opening to receiver a fastener, the mouth of the opening having adiameter greater than that of said fastener.
 59. An adapter according toclaim 58, wherein the opening includes a narrowing at its closed end togrip the end of a fastener.
 60. An adapter according to claim 59,wherein the opening and the narrowing are cylindrical.
 61. An adapteraccording to claim 60, wherein the cylinders are co-axial.
 62. A paneljoint, the panel joint comprising: a panel an edge of which is locallyflat and which flat region includes a recess; a joining member, thejoining member having spaced opposed walls to receive a panel; a joiningmember, the joining member having spaced opposed walls to receive apanel; at least one stop member against which a panel is aligned; andwherein the joining member has an aperture in one of said walls toenable a fastening member to pass through the joining member and engagethe panel, thereby urging the panel against the opposite wall of thejoining member.
 63. A joint according to claim 62, wherein the jointincludes adhesive between the panel and at least one wall of the joiningmember to increase te strength of the joint.
 64. A joint according toclaim 62, wherein an adapter is located in the recess, the adapterhaving a shape complementary to that of the recess.
 65. A jointaccording to claim 63, wherein an adapter is located in the recess, theadapter having a shape complementary to that of the recess.
 66. A jointaccording to claim 64, wherein the adapter narrows away from its openend to ensure that the material from which the adapter is formedundergoes plastic flow around the fastening member as the fasteningmember is fully engage.
 67. A joint according to claim 62, wherein thefastening member includes a screw thread to engage the joining member.68. A joint according to claim 62, wherein the recess includes anaperture to receive a nut into which the fastening member can bescrewed, the member and the nut co-operatively engaging to lock the nutagainst the inner wall.
 69. A joint according to claim 62, wherein thefastening member is aligned along an axis which is at an angle inclinedto the axis perpendicular to the surface of the panel.